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After a conversation between Obi-Wan, Yoda and Bail tells us how Luke and Leia end up with their respective foster parents (as well as an exchange with Captain Antilles about the droids) we are done with dialogue for the movie. The remainder of the film tells a superb visual story. From Threepio's alarmed reaction we transition to a somber evening on Naboo. It's a world whose lush green and abundant water have always evoked the senes of life and vibrancy, but now as dusk closes in, the water carries instead the symbolism of dark, inescapable sleep.

After a first glimpse of Padmé with a vast backdrop of mourners, we are shown those who knew her well, one by one. (Granted, some faces will be more familiar if you've seen the Episode II deleted scenes of Padmé's family. But you can intuit their identity well enough.) Family, dignitaries, the entire planet has apparently come to say farewell to a beloved leader. Except, of course, the one closer to her than any other.

He is present, though, in a sense. In the token she carries into death. In the children whose survival must be hidden, above everything else, from their own father. Note how the japor snippet lingers through the screen transition to the very last moment, till it is swallowed up by the brutish Imperial forces.

Next, despair and hope...

Anakin and Padmé will never reunite in life, but their circumstances are represented thereafter in stunning intercut visuals. Both are rescued by someone who puts a concerned hand to their brow. (Palpatine's gesture is also reminiscent of the older Obi-Wan checking on an unconscious Luke in Episode IV, showing that even the most selfish man can have a glimmer of caring when it concerns his valued apprentice).

Then the two damaged patients are rushed to medical care, where they lie prone for their treatment.

While Padmé bears her twins, Anakin receives the final touches of the iconic Darth Vader garb. And his first mechanized breath is presented alongside her last.

What does it all mean? Some have postulated that Padmé's life force is somehow being siphoned way to preserve Anakin, perhaps by a Dark Side power of Palpatine's. I do not care for such postulations. I don't think the Dark Side really has the power to preserve or extend life, even in such unnatural ways -- it's antithetical to life in every way. No, I think it's more of a spiritual metaphor. Padmé is the avatar of everything good and selfless about the Republic and its ideals, as well as the symbol of Anakin's heart's desire. His fall marks the end of everything she represented; her death is the death of the Republic and the death of his hope.

Next time, a classic film reference....

Yoda told Obi-Wan they had to destroy the Sith, but neither one could follow through on it. Yoda, well, he underestimates the powers of the Emperor. And Obi-Wan can't bring himself to actually kill his old friend and surrogate brother. Look at him trying to watch Anakin burn, trying to confirm he's dead...but he keeps turning away, unable to witness the final end. Ultimately he just picks up and leaves, and I can't say I blame him. It's too painful to watch, and how could he possibly know that Anakin/Vader would get rescued?

His reluctance to deliver the final blow continues when he visits Padmé on the ship. She asks about Anakin, and of course he doesn't tell her. What good would that do? He just looks sad. And continues to look sad, as they fly away from Mustafar.

What I'm basically saying is that Ewan McGregor is good at face acting, and Lucas makes highly effective use of it. It irritates me when people think all the CGI in Star Wars detracts from the human aspect and makes it all cold and impersonal. I haven't found that to be the case at all. When the story needs us to feel deep emotion, the very real human faces are there to provide it in thoughtfully edited closeups and reaction shots. I find it much more palatable than prolonged slow-motion sequences that beat the audience over the head with what they're supposed to be feeling. The emotions are there, nuanced and understated but very clear.

Next time, my favorite image from the entire film....

Lucas has a knack for creating settings that reflect the mood and thematic elements of the scene. This is particularly true for the two grand duels that mark the climax of Episode III.

For Anakin/Vader and Obi-Wan, this is an intensely personal battle that marks the utter disintegration of their friendship. So it takes place amid volcanic destruction that literally devours the landscape around them. With a little extra attention, viewers will note that during the course of their ferocious fighting, the protective force fields are deactivated, leaving the installation vulnerable to stupendous temperatures. Bit by bit, they're left with less and less infrastructure to support them, until they're basically outrunning fire. And is there anything more evocative of the volatile emotions of rage, betrayal and grief as this volatile backdrop to their battle?

Meanwhile, Yoda confronts Palpatine in the Senate building. This is more of a battle of giants (metaphorically) and ideals, and what better place to stage the struggle between the ideals of the Republic and the evil of the Empire than in the Senate chamber itself? Palpatine's selfish manipulations of the mechanisms of democracy are shockingly made physical as he literally flings Senate pods down upon the Jedi Master. Rule of law and the rights of the people mean nothing to Sidious; they never did. He's only ever seen them as a means to an end. To dominate, machinate and destroy.

Next, some more symbolism via fighting...

It's a very brief, quiet moment. Just long enough for a few bars of the love theme from Episode II. But it tells us all we need to know.

For all her words of protest to Obi-Wan, her avowed refusal to believe that Anakin has turned, she knows something is very wrong. Probably already suspected it, from Anakin's behavior at their last meeting. And even though she's traveled all the way to Mustafar on the strength of her faith in her husband's goodness, that fervent hope that she can still pull him back from the fire, she has to give herself this moment. To grieve what may already be lost; to brace herself for the very worst.

Next time, a dance of loyalties...

A dialog-free interlude on Mustafar showcases just how much can be conveyed with the language of cinema, no words needed. First we have a vast, wide shot of the raging volcanic vista, which immediately evokes a sense of tumultuous and destructive emotions.

Then we zoom in a bit for this glimpse of Anakin/Vader's silhouette, made hazy and eerie by the force fields. It's like something from a fever dream. This is followed by a series of shots revealing the grisly aftermath of the massacre of the Separatists. The awful stillness of death, like a mockery of peace.

We return to Anakin, the lone figure overlooking the gloomy horizon. This scene of fire and fury is the metaphorical embodiment of his soul. He is not triumphant in his embrace of the Dark Side. He knows the awful cost of his power. That tear-streak, ooof. What an image.

Next time, tricks with forced perspective...

I've always wondered whether it was the exigency of the special effects available at the time, or whether it was on purpose that Lucas made both holograms and "Force ghosts" have the same bluish look. In any case, when Obi-Wan looks through the archives to find the Jedi who betrayed the Order, he witnesses Anakin's shadowy figure moving like a ghost through the Temple. It's chilling, yet somehow also creates a distance from reality. I can't believe it Obi-Wan whispers, and you do get the sense he hasn't fully absorbed the truth of it yet.

But of course it's still devastating, and needs very little dialogue to convey the emotion. Ewan does some excellent face acting here. And then we juxtapose the holograms of Anakin and his new master with his heartbroken former master.

Next time, faces speak when words cannot...

When Anakin returns to Padmé after the Temple massacre, the ravages of the Dark Side are already beginning to show their effect on him. Till now he has been grim and brooding, unhappy with his choice though unable to see any other options.

But here, he smiles. It's subtle and chilling and awful.

And he deceives his own wife. Sure, what he says is technically true, but he leaves out a few key points. The Jedi plotted against the Chancellor (because he's a Sith Lord). I saw one of them try to kill Palpatine (and I wasn't just a passive bystander; I dismembered the Jedi). I'm going to take down the Separatist leaders (by slaughtering them all, even though they were just following Palpatine's commands.)

Look at the fear and doubt in Padmé's face. These closeups of faces show us all the things the two of them aren't saying out loud to each other. It's the beginning of the fracture that will crack entirely on Mustafar.

But first, another brutal montage...

Should have mentioned that I'd be out of town last week, but oh well, I'm back! We're going to examine a brief moment amid the tragic Order 66 sequence. It's significant that Episode III is the only film of the original saga to have a PG-13 rating. (Granted, the ratings system has shifted so much that they'd probably give all the movies that rating nowadays -- PG is reserved for kids' movies, which has me wondering what G is for anymore.) There's no question that the fall of the Republic and of Anakin Skywalker is going to make for a much darker, disturbing story. Yet it never edges into gratuitous violence or something that's shocking purely for the sake of being shocking.

Consider the massacre at the Jedi Temple. We see Anakin and the clonetroopers marching inside, but most of what happens after that is implied rather than directly portrayed. Particularly the awful brutality of killing younglings. We don't need to see that. Our imaginations can conjure up the horror perfectly well, after seeing this sequence of shots, concluding with this final haunting image.

And then, as Lucas has explained, we go to Padmé as an emotional surrogate for the agonizing grief we're experiencing. She doesn't know yet what actually happened; she worries that Anakin is dead. But her reaction gives us exactly the release we need. In sense, Anakin really has died, a death of character and conscience and spirit.

Next, images of a proto-Rebellion...

Alas, the images from the last post are no longer showing up. This is vexing.

I'll keep looking for solutions. Meanwhile, let's explore the pivotal moment of Anakin's fall. It takes place with the backdrop of a spectacular duel between a Jedi Master and a Sith, but in truth, it's really a show that Palpatine is putting on to manipulate Anakin. Is he actually on the verge of defeat when Anakin shows up? I doubt it. He just wants to create the image of being helplessly persecuted by the heartless Jedi Council.

Like so.

So rather than focus on the constructed images Palpatine is creating, we'll look at how Anakin reacts. He says very little during this time, but his face speaks volumes. Even during his desperate flight toward the Senate building, his shadowed face tells us of his tormented inner conflict.

Light and darkness.

He sees a vengeful Mace prepare to execute an unarmed man, and it's just like that moment with Dooku, except a Jedi Master is supposed to do better, to follow the Code. Anakin is extremely troubled.

A moment of unthinking outrage, and suddenly Anakin has become an accomplice in the murder of a Jedi Master.

The horror begins to sink in.

What have I done?. He sees a point of no return. How could the Council possibly forgive him after this? There is no redemption, no absolution.

Now the tables have turned. The Sith towers over the fallen Jedi.

Shot after shot of Anakin's anguished face. There is no triumph here, no exulting in evil. That will come later, when the Dark Side has deepened its awful influence. Now, he only mourns and looks at Palpatine like a dying man pleading for a lifeline. Or perhaps an addict needing a fix.

One of Lucas's motives in making the prequels was to dispel the notion that Vader was "cool" in his villainy. He wanted to emphasize how very pathetic he truly is, a man who lost everything and lives in lonely misery. This scene brutally establishes the bleak, pointless tragedy of his fall.

Next time, the tragedy spreads across the galaxy...